We used to bully Kundan Shah during 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro': Om Puri

New Delhi: With a shoestring budget, every day of the shoot was a struggle for 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro' team but actor Om Puri says he has some of the best memories of working on the 1983 satire classic and bullying its director

Kundan Shah. The film, whose restored version is releasing on November 2, has gained cult status over the years. Puri, who played corrupt builder Ahuja, recalls how they sailed through despite budget problems by sleeping on the floor and eating 'lauki ki sabzi and dal' everyday.

"It was made on a very small budget. Our food came from the director's house. He had hired a cook and it was 'lauki and dal' everyday. I remember on my first day of the shoot, someone asked for a cup of tea. I heard the production manager

shouting, 'Aarre yaar, you just had tea an hour ago'. It was that kind of situation but we all were friends and sailed through despite all odds," Puri told PTI.

The film, whose restored version is releasing on November 2, has gained cult status over the years.

The film, which is being re-released by NFDC and PVR cinemas after a gap of 29 years, had some of the best theatre and film artistes like Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Satish Kaushik, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Neena Gupta and Puri.

The actor says that since all of them were in the initial stages of their career and of the same age, they had fun despite the discomforts.

"We were shooting in a bungalow in Alibaug. There were no bedsheets... We would spread towel on the floor and sleep for couple of hours in the varanda of that bungalow. I remember, our cinematographer Binod Pradhan was once so exhausted that he fell asleep when he was supposed to roll the camera."

The 'Mahabharat' scene of the film is almost as famous as the movie itself and Puri recalls how he convinced Shah to let him wear his character's trademark black glasses. "We used to bully Kundan a lot. I remember during the

Mahabharat scene I am wearing goggles. Kundan was not happy. He said, 'What is this? You are wearing goggles in Mahabharat scene'. I said, 'Relax Kundan, look at the situation. I wear them in the film, yes or no'. He said, 'Yes, but it is the Mahabharat scene'.

"I said, 'Look at the situation. We are hitting everyone that goes backstage and change into their clothes. I forgot to remove my glasses'. Finally, he let it be and that's how my goggles remained in the scene."

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